Yours To Hold
by roktavor
Summary: Sousuke's got a bit of a crush, Ai spends the night increasingly often, and Rin doesn't mind his own business. (or: Five times Ai shares Rin's bed, plus one time he shares with Sousuke instead.)


**A/N:** Hello, I'm weak for SouAi and also cuddling,

* * *

 **Yours To Hold**

1.

It's just starting to edge past midnight when a knock on their door pulls Sousuke away from sleep. His eyes blink open and he frowns as the knock sounds again – if he weren't so tired at the moment, he'd climb out of bed and chew out whoever's on the other side of that door, daring to keep him from a good night's rest.

As it is, though, he's finally found the perfect, most comfortable position. Plus, the room is still illuminated with faint white light, which means Rin is awake and probably on his phone. Sousuke is more than happy to let him handle the intruder.

Rin rolls off the bottom bunk, and Sousuke watches him disappear from his line of view as he shuffles over to the door. He hears the click of the lock and the turn of the knob, and then closes his eyes against the dim light spilling in from the hall. Hopefully Rin will make quick, quiet work of whoever has the audacity to visit at this hour, and Sousuke can drift off in the meanwhile.

"Ai?"

"Sorry to bother you this late, Rin-senpai."

They're both whispering, mindful of Sousuke who they probably assume is asleep (he wishes), but with his eyes closed as he actively tries to ignore any noise, Sousuke catches all of it. There's the soft sound of their dorm room door opening the rest of the way, and the near imperceptible sound of feet over carpet.

"It's okay," Rin says, "what's up?"

Sousuke tries to will himself to relax back into sleep and not be curious – it only halfway works.

Nitori lets out a longsuffering sigh. "Pyunsuke got loose again," he mutters. There's the sound of a door closing, and his voice is closer now, and Sousuke internally groans because _thanks for letting in chatterbox number one while I'm trying to sleep, Rin_. At least Momo (chatterbox number two) himself hadn't tagged along.

Oblivious to Sousuke's ever-growing exhaustion, Rin lets out a light laugh. "What," he says, tone full of amusement, "you're not gonna help catch him this time?"

"This is the third time this week," Nitori complains. That level of irritation sounds foreign on him, but Sousuke finds the fatigue in his voice painfully relatable at the moment. "I tried to help, but in the end Momo-kun said 'maybe he prefers to sleep wild and free!' and gave up."

Okay, his Momo impression is pretty spot-on. Sousuke realizes he's smiling into his pillow, lets it stay for a while and fade on its own.

Rin snorts out another laugh. "Don't wanna sleep with a 'wild and free' stag beetle in the room?" he asks, in a way that implies he already knows the answer. The grin in his voice is obvious.

"It keeps flying around!"

There's some more laughter from Rin, and Nitori whines at him that it's not funny. Half of Sousuke disagrees – because this is indeed very funny – but the other half wants interesting conversations to stop happening so he can fall asleep already. He grunts and rolls over, and the others' voices drop back into whispering.

"You can stay here for tonight," Rin says, and he's probably doing that thing where he ruffles Nitori's dorky bowl cut.

"Thank you, Rin-senpai!" Nitori chirps, his whisper just a bit too bright for this time of night. "I don't mean to intrude…."

"It's fine."

The bed creaks a little as Rin climbs onto the bunk beneath Sousuke, and then again as Nitori apparently follows him. It only takes a moment for them to settle, and soon enough, Sousuke is (at last) able to drift off completely.

As he climbs down from the top bunk the next morning, Sousuke notes how weird it is to be the first one up. Ordinarily, Rin would already be preparing for the day by the time Sousuke even bothers to open his eyes, but this morning, apparently, he's sleeping in….

…And it doesn't take Sousuke long to figure out why.

He pauses when his feet touch down on the floor, too busy staring at the scene in Rin's bed to bother getting on with his life just yet. Rin is curled on his side, with his forehead pressed into Nitori's shoulder and an arm draped over his stomach while Nitori has his head tipped to rest on top of Rin's hair, the fingers of one hand twisted in the hem of Rin's shirt.

The first thing Sousuke thinks is that wow Nitori's neck is probably gonna hate him when he wakes up – the second is, unfortunately, that the scene is adorable. It makes him want to take a picture, but that would probably be creepy, so he finds himself frowning instead. With a grunt, he lifts up his foot and kicks at Rin's calf.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty – time to unwrap yourself from prince charming and face the day."

* * *

2.

This time, it's Sousuke who answers the door. He had been seconds away from climbing into bed when the knock sounded, so his expression might not be at its friendliest when he looks down and finds Nitori standing there.

"Oh, Yamazaki-senpai!" Nitori has the decency to look sheepish, holding his left arm in his right hand and swaying on his feet a little. He's dressed in his pajamas, and he looks ruffled. "I know it's late, but can I come in?"

Shrugging, Sousuke steps aside. He really doesn't mind, given that Nitori is probably here to see Rin, anyway. "Sure."

Nitori beams at him as he enters. It's almost obnoxiously sweet, but Sousuke still finds the corners of his mouth shifting upwards in response, the crease between his brows easing. Something about Nitori is oddly relaxing.

Sprawled out on the bottom bunk with a textbook open next to him and his laptop in front of him, Rin looks up at the sound of Nitori's approach. "What's up, Ai?" he asks, fingers still hovering over the keyboard.

"Mikoshiba-senpai snores," Nitori says, his left arm coming up to cross over his right. "I _was_ sharing with Momo-kun, but he moves around too much and almost pushed me onto the floor."

Sousuke doesn't know why Samezuka's former captain had to spend the night here after his visit to check on the team's progress, but Nitori's plight sounds sympathetic indeed. He climbs into his own top bunk, already guessing the solution that Rin will have – it's undoubtedly the solution that Nitori was herding him towards. That kid really does know Rin well; Sousuke silently commends him.

"Wanna spend the night here again?" Rin offers, predictably.

"Could I, senpai? I'd really appreciate it…."

From where he's perched in his bed, Sousuke can just barely make out the hint of pink creeping into the tips of Nitori's ears. His smile is easy, though, and Sousuke's face tries to echo it without his permission. He lies down with a soft _whump_ so he won't have to watch anymore, not sure why it bothers him.

"It's no problem," Rin says, "I was just finishing up anyway." There's the sound of him closing his computer as well as his textbook, and then more shuffling as he presumably gets out of bed to stack them on his desk.

The room goes dark as Rin flips off his desk lamp, and then the bedframe creaks and shifts as he crawls in after Nitori and they settle. Sousuke wonders if they're cuddling again, or if that's something that just happens in their sleep – and then he wonders _why_ he's wondering that. He rolls onto his stomach and tugs his blanket around his shoulders, trying to tell his thoughts to shut up.

In the morning, after an oddly restless sleep, Sousuke is the first one awake again. He wonders if Rin even bothers to set his alarm on the nights Nitori stays over, and almost against his will he catches himself peeking at the two of them first thing.

They're huddled together again, this time a little closer than the last: Nitori's head is tucked beneath Rin's chin, and one of Rin's legs is caught between both of Nitori's. They look comfortable, and this time Sousuke decides he won't bother them just yet.

…He does, however, decide it's not too creepy after all to snap a picture with his phone. He convinces himself that it's future blackmail material for Rin, because really, what other motive could he have.

* * *

3.

"Why don't you spend the night again?"

From his spot lifting a dumbbell in the corner, Sousuke's rep falters a little as his right shoulder tenses painfully. He switches to working his left arm prematurely.

Nitori, of course, stops arranging his messy pile of papers immediately in favor of turning to Rin with wide eyes. "Really?!" His big baby blues blink in surprise and probably also excitement.

"Yeah," Rin says, flashing a genuine grin that shows off his teeth. He tugs his hair out of its little ponytail and runs his hands through it – Sousuke's eyes automatically follow the movement of his arm muscles, and he notices Nitori's do as well. "It's really late, and since Momo went home for the weekend, you don't have to worry about babysitting him."

"I'd love to!" Nitori answers too fast, his smile too bright. He seems to catch himself and tone it down, even though Rin doesn't seem to have noticed. "I mean – if you're sure that's okay?"

Sousuke wonders how Nitori can still be so hesitant, and marvels at how he can't tell how much respect Rin has for him. Or maybe he can, and that's why he's so awkwardly polite at times. Maybe he's afraid of messing all that up, somehow. Sousuke could understand that.

"I'm sure. You've been here this long studying already, might as well make a night of it." Rin plays with the hair tie in his hands, stretching it between his fingers before flinging it in Sousuke's general direction. "Sousuke doesn't mind either, right?"

With a grunt, Sousuke drops the dumbbell next to his feet. "It's fine," he says, because it is, and Rin's never okayed Nitori's impromptu sleepovers with him before, so why is he starting now? Surely he hasn't caught on that Sousuke's – that Sousuke's what, exactly? Where was he going with this train of thought again?

"Thank you very much, then!" Nitori says, doing that cute half-smile half-laugh combo where he tilts his head and makes his hair fluff out around him for a moment.

Suddenly, Sousuke understands Rin's fascination with ruffling those locks. He lets that thought slide as he stands up and stretches, being mindful of his sore shoulder. "Just don't giggle to each other all night," he warns them, smirking, "some of us still want to sleep at this slumber party."

Rin kicks at him as he passes on the way to the shower, but Nitori calls after him with a "We won't, Yamazaki-senpai!"

After his shower, Sousuke dawdles as much as he can. The other two are getting ready for bed, with the usual routine of brushing teeth and donning pajamas, Nitori having gone briefly back to his own dorm to change. Sousuke fills this time with as many menial tasks as he feels he can get away with without being suspicious.

There's something he's curious about, see, and he wants an answer (even though it's a stupid thing to be curious about and he shouldn't care in the first place, and yet –).

He's pretending to dig through his sock drawer for long enough that he's getting a weird look from Rin when Nitori _finally_ comes back. He enters the room without knocking, freshly clad in pajamas with an extra pillow under his arm. There are tiny yellow ducklings dotted all over his light blue pants, and his t-shirt is a size too big on him. The overall effect is…cute as hell.

It takes seven precious seconds for Sousuke to realize he's staring and that he should probably cut that out before –

Too late, Rin's noticed, and now he's getting _another_ weird look, and Nitori is thankfully too busy throwing his pillow down on Rin's bed to notice.

Sousuke shakes his head at Rin, pretending to be baffled as he lifts his hands out of his sock drawer to bend his elbows in a 'what?' gesture. In return, one of Rin's eyebrows inches up, and his weird look turns knowing. Sousuke likes that even less, somehow. For a minute, he worries about what Rin will do. He isn't even sure what Rin could possibly do next that would be bad, but something tells him he ought to be wary, now. Rin knows something that Sousuke has yet to figure out, and that makes him dangerous for a multitude of reasons. …Right?

Sousuke snatches a pair of socks at random, breaking eye contact with Rin as he bends to put them on. What's he so worried about, all of a sudden?

Clapping his hands on his thighs, Rin stands up out of his desk chair, looking far too pleased with himself. "Bedtime!" he announces, instead of sharing his new Sousuke-related revelation with the class.

The relief that floods Sousuke at this is uncalled for, and he wills it away.

Already situated on Rin's bed, Nitori gives a thumbs-up.

"I'll get the light," Sousuke says, because he's come this far to satisfy a certain curiosity, and this latest knowing look that Rin is currently giving him won't be enough to stop him.

Whatever suspicions Rin apparently has, he doesn't act on them, and instead launches himself into bed next to Nitori. "Thanks, man," he calls after Sousuke, who nods in return.

"Thank you, Yamazaki-senpai!" Nitori echoes. Sousuke bites back a smile in favor of another nod.

Flicking off the lights as promised, he turns back around to meander over to the ladder at the head of the bed. As he goes, he shoots as casual a glance as possible at the bottom bunk, watching how Rin and Nitori settle in close to each other, their shoulders touching.

 _So they_ do _kind of start out that way_ , he thinks, stepping directly onto the second rung as his white knuckled hands haul him up and into bed. All those overlapped limbs must happen later in the night. Interesting.

…Why had he needed to know that, again?

And why does it cause a funny stirring in his gut as he stares at the ceiling and tries to sleep?

This is _maybe_ something he should be more willing to dwell on. As it is, he stubbornly forces it down with the rest of his inconvenient, confusing feelings – which means it'll no doubt resurface at a bad time, but it's the (lack of) thought that counts.

The next morning, when Sousuke's feet hit the floor, he realizes that this time he's not the first one awake. His usual cursory observation of Rin and Nitori's sleeping position is interrupted when clear blue eyes lock with his, and Sousuke freezes.

Nitori is awake, and he gives Sousuke a shy little smile. The quality of the smile might have something to do with the way Rin is half on top of Nitori, with his head pillowed on the direct center of his chest, more than likely drooling on him.

Still, here's Nitori, smiling at Sousuke, and mouthing 'good morning, senpai' as he lifts his unpinned hand from where it's buried in Rin's hair to give a tiny wave.

In his chest, Sousuke's heart is alight with an energy that would put even Momo to shame. _Shit_ , he thinks as he realizes what this – plus all of last night's lead up – probably means.

He smiles and waves back anyway. At least Rin isn't awake to see it.

x

By the time Sousuke returns from the bathroom, fully ready for the day, Nitori is just heading out the door.

Rin's still waking up the rest of the way, sitting on his bed and rubbing his face. "See you later," Rin calls after him, and Nitori responds with half-muffled agreement as he closes the door behind him.

"Morning," Sousuke greets, taking a seat at his desk and looking to pull out some homework to start on before breakfast. He's spent his entire morning so far trying not to think about Nitori or anything related to him, and there's nothing like some good old schoolwork to numb the brain. Avoidance is a good tactic. Never steered him wrong in the past.

"Mornin'," Rin responds around a yawn.

There's a respite in the conversation for all of five minutes before Rin goes in for the kill.

"So," he says, "about last night –"

Sousuke spins around in his chair so fast he almost gets whiplash. "What's the relationship between you two?" He blurts it out without thinking, a thoroughly graceless attempt to derail _that_ conversation before it even starts.

…There are topics farther off the mark he could have picked, he realizes a little too late.

Unfortunately, this is all that's been near the forefront of his mind consistently today.

"Between…who?" Rin, to his credit, looks genuinely confused, so Sousuke gives him a deadpan look until he finally uses that brain of his. "Me and Ai?"

Sousuke nods – partially because that's all he can manage right now, but mostly because he's afraid if he opens his mouth again, something even worse will spill out.

"Why do you care, all of a sudden?" Rin's face is looking too similar to last night's weird-and-knowing looks for comfort, so Sousuke does his best to divert suspicion with a deliberately casual shrug. It doesn't seem to work.

"You two cuddle a lot." There it is, his brilliant mouth back at work, spilling things he'd rather it keep to itself.

This time, it's Rin who shrugs. His face isn't designed to be neutral, but Sousuke can tell he's trying his best not to burst into emotion. Be it laughter or yelling. Or tears. "We're just friends," he says, with a different sort of furrow to his brow.

"Does he know that?" Sousuke is a master at digging his own grave.

"Yeah..?" Half of Rin's mouth quirks upwards, which confirms that it's definitely laughter that he's trying to stifle.

Sousuke Yamazaki does not blush. Not even now, with his newly discovered crush half a step from being revealed to his best friend who happens to enjoy teasing him as a favorite pastime. He remains resolutely stoic. His 'resting bitch face', as Rin calls it.

"Sousuke," is all Rin says, no longer bothering to hide the amusement in his voice.

Red face buried in his hands, Sousuke groans.

* * *

4.

So Sousuke is jealous. So what?

So what if he wants to be the one that Nitori wakes up tangled up with. So what if he wants the chance to use Nitori as a human body pillow. So what if he wants to take him on dates and hold his hand and be the cause of at least some of his smiles. So what if he wants their new, private training sessions to end in romantic moonlight swims. So _what_?

Outside, thunder rumbles as rain pelts the glass door to their little balcony, and it makes for a melodramatic background to his thoughts.

There's school tomorrow, and he should be sleeping. Yet here he is, scowling up at the ceiling, lost in thought about Nitori.

He's got worse to worry about, even – he's got his shoulder, the looming end of his swimming career, Rin, what he'll do after graduation…plenty of heavier stuff. And instead he's lying here. _Pining_.

It's almost funny, but he guesses maybe it's _because_ it's such a light topic among the rest that it's taken over recently.

"You're brooding too loud again," Rin says from beneath him. Two days since he found out, and he's been the opposite of helpful so far, with his knowing glances and carefully placed implicating comments.

"That's just the thunder," Sousuke quips back. His mattress lifts up a bit under his butt, Rin's toes digging in and pushing at him in retaliation.

"It's you and you know it." Rin gives one last shove upwards with his legs before letting Sousuke bounce back down. "Just ask him out, already."

Sousuke twists around, leaning dangerously low over the side of his bunk just so he can aim an upside-down glower at Rin. "I told you: he's too nice – he'll feel obligated to say yes."

"And _I_ told _you_ ," pushing himself up onto his elbows, Rin glowers right back, "that he wouldn't 'feel obligated' with just _anyone_. There are worse starting points!"

"I think he'd prefer if _you_ asked him out." The railing is digging into his hips uncomfortably, but Sousuke will be damned if he loses this particular glowering contest.

"Tsk!" Rin unlocks his elbows and flops back down, throwing an arm over his eyes. "You don't listen. He's not crushing on me anymore, okay?"

"Really," Sousuke says, exaggeratedly dubious as he scrunches up his eyebrows, "have you interacted with him, lately?"

Rin lifts his arm and angles his head so he can give Sousuke an exasperated look. "I know him better than –"

A series of loud bangs that definitely aren't thunder come from their door, and they both jump. Sousuke's hold on the railing slips and he flails for a few terrifying seconds before regaining his hold and righting himself back into bed. He can hear Rin snickering beneath him, and it does nothing to improve his mood.

The banging sounds again, and this time he's paying enough attention to realize that it's actually someone knocking on their door, albeit very insistently.

Rin's still chuckling as he rolls out of bed, and he shoots an amused grin back at Sousuke as he heads towards the door. "Coming, coming…" he mutters, his voice nearly drowned out by the sounds of the storm outside.

Despite his irritation at Rin, Sousuke is curious about who it is that just _has_ to get into their room _right_ _now_ , so he sits up to watch. (Some overexcited corner of his brain reminds him who usually comes around this late at night, and he tells it to shut up.)

He doesn't have to wait long. No sooner does Rin have the door cracked before Momo is shoving his way through, arriving in a burst of wild energy as usual. His orange hair is sticking up every which way, and he's bouncing on his toes – but what's vastly more interesting to Sousuke is who he's dragging behind him.

One of Momo's hands is wrapped securely around Nitori's wrist, and he's hauled into the room on stumbling feet. " _Momo-kun_ ," he complains, and then yawns behind his free hand, "manners!"

"What are you two doing here?" Rin asks, closing the door behind them.

There's a brilliant flash of lightning outside, and Momo gasps. Sousuke is preoccupied with watching how it lights up Nitori's face as he sleepily rubs at one of his eyes.

"One, two, three," Momo stares at the window as he counts off the seconds, "four –"

He's interrupted by a crack of thunder so loud that it seems to shake the room, and he jumps violently. Dropping Nitori's hand, he stands on his toes so he can latch onto Rin's shoulders as he shouts, "Pyunsuke is scared of the storm!"

Above his head, Rin shares a look first with Nitori, and then with Sousuke.

"You didn't even bring him with you," Sousuke points out, noting the obvious lack of stag beetle anywhere on Momo's person.

"You brought _me_ instead," Nitori says, sounding unimpressed. "I was _sleeping_ , Momo-kun."

"Yeah, well…" Momo sinks back onto the flat of his feet. He pulls his hands off of Rin's shoulders, smoothing out the t-shirt where he'd rumpled it under his hold. Unless Sousuke is very much mistaken – he doesn't have the best angle, after all – he's _pouting_. "I never get to join Ai-senpai's sleepovers here."

For a moment, there's silence apart from the rain. Rin blinks down at Momo, while Nitori stifles at least three yawns and Sousuke does his best to pay attention to more than just him. Eventually thunder sounds again, and Momo flinches.

"Alright," Rin sighs, though he doesn't actually look at all irritated, "you two can both sleep here tonight."

That lights a certain spark in Sousuke's chest, and he gets an idea immediately. If all four of them will have to share beds, then surely it makes the most sense for the smallest of them (Nitori) to share with the largest (Sousuke, coincidentally). No one will be able to argue with that logic, he reasons.

Before he can voice this thought, Momo vaults into the top bunk with a loud, "YAHOO!" and lands bouncing next to Sousuke, grinning cheekily.

"Shh!" Rin hisses, at the same time as Nitori grumbles, "Keep it down, Momo-kun."

To Sousuke's pleasure, Nitori's grumpy voice is adorable – to Souske's displeasure, however, he is currently crawling drowsily into his usual spot in Rin's bed.

So this is how it's gonna be, huh.

"Hey – hey, Yamazaki-senpai!" Momo chatters in his ear, thankfully at a more acceptable volume. "Do you want the wall side or the fall side?"

Frowning, Sousuke lies down, grabbing the back of Momo's shirt to pull him along with him. Momo yelps, which earns more shushing from the bottom bunk. Sousuke can only sigh, but Momo seems highly amused.

"If you won't pick," he says, "I want the wall side. Falling sucks." He wiggles to his hands and knees and crawls over Sousuke before settling again.

And then he settles again, when he realizes that his position is apparently not comfortable.

And again.

…And then one more time for good measure.

Sousuke is contemplating throwing him off the 'fall side'.

" _Goodnight_ , Momo-kun," comes Nitori's voice from below.

"Goodnight, Ai-senpai!" And just like that, Momo stops his shifting.

Sousuke hides his sudden smile under the pretense of a yawn, unwilling to admit that it was most likely Nitori who put it there via the same magic he'd just used to still Momo. He falls asleep easier than he thought he would, with Momo curled pleasantly warm against him.

The morning is another story entirely.

There's a foot in his face, a knee in his abdomen, an arm tangled somewhere around his knees, and Momo's hair is tickling his ankle. If Sousuke cranes his head and looks past the foot, he can tell that Momo's entire body is impossibly twisted around – there's no way that can be comfortable, yet he's sleeping soundly.

It won't be easy to get out of this, and from here he has no view of what time it is, so he figures he better start untangling himself now. With a sigh, he attempts to start with the foot in his face, but is deterred by the fact that his left arm is pinned by…what feels like another knee. Somehow.

Around this time is when he realizes that he can't feel his right arm, and turning his head tells him that this is because it's fallen asleep from hanging over the edge of the bed all night. Wiggling his fingers wakes it up some, and he manages to pull it back up amidst the uncomfortable tingles of renewed circulation – although those are nothing compared to the throbbing that his shoulder is doing now that it has feeling back.

Wincing, he forces his arm to cooperate long enough to push Momo's offending leg off of himself…only for it to spring back and kick him in the jaw.

With a grunt, Sousuke returns the favor by using the top of his foot to whack Momo in the head. Momo whines in his sleep and squirms, somehow digging his elbow into Sousuke's thigh, and Sousuke grumbles under his breath about annoying underclassmen.

He's so focused on trying to become his own entity again that he doesn't feel the slight rocking of someone moving around on the bottom bunk until suddenly Nitori is _there_ , standing on the ladder and hovering too-close-yet-not-close-enough to Sousuke's face.

Sousuke stops trying to shove Momo away from himself in favor of blinking stupidly up at him.

Fortunately, Nitori misses this, preoccupied with frowning at Momo's state. "You always do this," he mutters, tutting and sounding a lot like Rin for a moment. Then his focus shifts, and pretty blue eyes make contact with Sousuke's (whose brain may or may not fizzle out for a moment).

"I'm so sorry, Yamazaki-senpai," Nitori apologizes, inclining his head in as much of a bow as he can, perched on the ladder as he is.

"It's okay," Sousuke says, because suddenly it is. His shoulder aches to the bone and he's sure his thigh is bruised and he can't really feel his left arm – but it really is fine, so long as Nitori stays here, with his sleep-mussed hair and indents on his face from the pillowcase.

Nitori shakes his head like he doesn't believe that. "I really am sorry – he's awful to share with, I should've warned you, at least."

He smiles a little, and as usual, Sousuke's face follows suit without him willing it to. Given his current situation, it might come out as more of a grimace.

"It's…okay," Sousuke repeats. He almost wants to reach out and reassure Nitori by patting his shoulder, or something, but….

"Here," Nitori says, climbing up another rung, "let me help you."

Sousuke can only nod. This close, he can smell Nitori. Laundry detergent mixes with his natural scent, along with something spicy that Sousuke recognizes as Rin. It's a little intoxicating, this early in the morning, and better than Momo's foot by a long shot.

With careful, lithe hands, Nitori reaches across Sousuke and gently nudges Momo's legs off of him until the sleeping boy somehow takes the hint and shifts his lower body away. He makes it look so _easy_.

"Better?" Nitori asks. After retracting, one of his hands has a grip on the bed's railing, while the other is poised oh-so-softly on Sousuke's right shoulder.

"Yeah."

There's still the matter of Momo's top half wound up inexplicably in his legs, but Sousuke is finding it kind of hard to care about that at the moment. There's sunlight spilling in the window and making Nitori's eyes sparkle. What else could possibly matter right now?

…He's maybe in a little too deep, and definitely _not_ a morning person.

"Good!" Nitori does that cute little head-tilting smile again, and yeah it's way too early for this. Before Sousuke can do anything to stop him, he shuffles away along the edge of the bed until he's at the bottom, close enough to deal with the rest of Momo.

There's a soft smile on Nitori's face still, and this time he holds on with one hand while untangling Momo with the other. Once Momo's arms are back at his sides where they belong (seriously, how _does_ he do that?), he pulls away and holds onto the bed with both hands.

Finally free to sit up, Sousuke does so, folding his legs just for the reassurance that they still bend. "Thanks," he says, and he's rewarded with the way Nitori's entire being lights up.

"No problem!"

And then he hoists himself up and stretches across the bed, and his side brushing Sousuke's knees, and Sousuke's train of thought skips the rails a bit. He's _warm_ and _close_ and wow where did all this pent up affection come from. He feels like a character on one of those soap operas Rin cries while watching.

"Wake up, Momo-kun," Nitori calls, ruffling Momo's hair in another move reminiscent of Rin, "or you'll be late feeding your beetles!"

Momo jerks awake with so much force that Nitori is jolted into losing his grip on the railing, and then he's falling backwards, and Sousuke grabs his arm to steady him almost before the gasp of surprise even leaves him.

He and Nitori both freeze, with a flurry of apologies from Momo in the background.

Sousuke's hand is around Nitori's forearm and he hasn't let go yet. Nitori is still leaning precariously back, although his other hand has purchase on the edge of the bed, and Sousuke is holding him up well enough that he could pull himself back in whenever he wanted. Or Sousuke could pull him in. But they both remain still, and Sousuke's blood rushes a bit in his ears, and Nitori's eyes are wide and _so blue_ –

"W-well," Nitori stutters, his smile is an odd sort of fleeting that looks like it wants to stay. "We, uh, better get back to our room!"

Momo's apologies have stopped, and Sousuke can feel him staring.

The arm in his grasp tugs a little, and Sousuke releases it. Nitori grins at him again before hopping down to the floor.

"Come on, Momo-kun!"

"Coming!" Momo snaps back into motion, and springs down to the floor over the bottom edge of the bunkbed.

Nitori fumbles with the doorknob for half a second before opening it, and his cheeks are pink when he turns around. "Thanks for letting us stay!" he says, and then he's gone.

"Yeah, thanks!" Momo cheers, giving one last enthusiastic wave before running out as well.

Sousuke watches the empty doorway with a frown. What just happened…was it…good?

There's a familiar bark of laughter from the bottom bunk, and Sousuke automatically feels himself tense up into attack mode.

"Sleep well, Sousuke?" Rin asks.

Sousuke climbs over the edge with his pillow in hand and whacks Rin right in his laughing mouth with it.

* * *

5.

As soon as Sousuke crawls into bed, there's a knock on the door, and he groans. It's been a long day, and he needs sleep, and whoever it is that's making him climb back down the ladder only to have to climb _back up_ _it_ into bed later is going to get an absolute –

"Hi, Yamazaki-senpai! Is…is Rin-senpai here?"

"Nitori," Sousuke says, intelligently. Because there he is, in all his pajama-clad glory, looking lost and more than a little tired. Sousuke relates.

And then his brain catches up with him when Nitori shifts awkwardly in the doorway, and he realizes that he has, in fact, been asked a question.

"Uh – no," he says, continuing his trend of intelligent responses. "He's not back from shopping with Gou yet." That's more like it, eight entire words strung together to actually mean something – go Sousuke!

"Oh." Nitori looks sheepish. He seems smaller than usual in shorts and an oversized long-sleeved shirt.

Sousuke has an inkling about what he wants. There's only one reason he comes over at night in his pajamas, after all. "You can come in," he says, stepping out of the doorway, "he should be back soon."

"Thank you!" Nitori regains that familiar bright tone as he traipses in, looking relieved and relaxing as soon as he's inside.

Sousuke closes the door and walks past him a little ways, stopping at the base of the ladder to watch the way Nitori fiddles with the ends of his sleeves. It strikes Sousuke then that this is the first time he's ever been alone in this room with Nitori – this realization is quickly followed by the epiphany that this could be the chance he's been waiting for. To…confess, or something like that.

The more time he spends with Nitori, the better he gets to know him, and the more his crush grows. Lately, he's been thinking that he should probably take Rin's advice and at least try to ask Nitori out.

…Or maybe ask to cuddle with him. Like he does with Rin. Even just as friends.

They just…he and Rin always look so at ease when they're sleeping wrapped around each other like that. It's stupid and weird, but Sousuke's mind has been in tumult so often lately that –

He wants that peace.

Is this what they mean by touch starved? Sousuke's not sure, and either way it makes him feel downright pathetic. But he does know that Nitori's presence is comforting and he would very much like those arms around him, no matter how sappy it sounds.

So maybe, if Rin isn't here….

"What is it this time?" Sousuke asks, when he's had enough of them standing around awkwardly.

Nitori sighs and sits down heavily on Rin's bed. "Momo-kun," he says.

"Ah," Sousuke replies.

"It's not his fault," Nitori continues, waving a hand to cast the notion aside, "I know he's nervous about his test and that he has trouble sitting still while studying, but I –" his voice breaks on a yawn, and he covers his mouth with the back of his hand "– am too tired today."

Sousuke finds himself yawning, too, as he leans against the bedframe. "Me, too."

There's a light laugh from Nitori, sweet and pleasant, and again Sousuke can't help but smile back.

"Long day?" Nitori asks, tilting his head on the question.

Sousuke shrugs a shoulder, almost winces when he realizes it was the right one, and swaps to stretching it out instead. "Yeah – you, too, huh?"

Nitori makes an affirmative noise and dips his head in a nod. "Thanks for taking the time to coach me anyway," he says, and then looks away, eyes lost in thought somewhere in the direction of Rin's desk. "It means a lot."

Sousuke's mouth goes a little dry, and he smiles even though Nitori can't see it. "No problem." It means a lot to him, too, that this steadfast, dedicated boy isn't running himself ragged anymore. That he hasn't ruined himself like Sousuke.

Ah, damn – the mood in this room really is low tonight.

Standing up straight, Sousuke decides he might as well go for it. His heart beats out an unsteady rhythm in his chest, and there's a whole swarm of butterflies in his stomach, but he turns towards Nitori anyway.

"Hey –"

"Yamazaki-senpai –"

They speak at the same time, and Nitori is facing him again, a sheepish smile in place. Sousuke's confidence slips when their eyes meet, but doesn't falter the whole way.

"Sorry," he says, "you go ahead."

"N-no that's fine!" For some reason, Nitori's got a pink flush spreading over his cheeks as he talks. "You can, um, go first."

A thoughtful frown creases Sousuke's brow, and he tries to relax it in case it looks intimidating. Most of him wants to know what Nitori was about to say, but the rest of him is sure that if he doesn't speak now, he'll lose his nerve altogether. So he forges on.

"Do you…." Okay, this is harder than he thought. "Since Rin isn't here, do you maybe want to…?" Sousuke gestures towards the top bunk vaguely, because that's easier than words.

Nitori blinks at him, still looking a little flustered. He's waiting patiently all the same.

"Sleep up there with me instead this time?" Sousuke forces himself to finish. It comes out a little too fast, but at least it comes out. He tries to keep a stoic face to cover the awkward way the words had tumbled out of his mouth, but he isn't sure it works.

"Oh!" Nitori's eyes widen, and his face goes even pinker. "I – thank you, but –!"

Sousuke is gratified that he isn't the only one stuttering here, although his heart sinks a little at the 'but'.

"B-but I wouldn't want to intrude! Rin's used to me, and – and I kind of get a little clingy, in my sleep, I don't know if you've noticed. It'd be like Momo all over again for you, so I really don't think that – um, not that, I wouldn't –"

He's rambling. Making him nervous is the last thing Sousuke wants, and he knows that he's pouting right now, which unfortunately makes him look scary (or at least, that's what Rin says), so he tries to lift the disappointment from his face.

"It's fine," he says, afraid it comes out too cold. He understands. They just aren't that close yet – Rin has a whole year on him, in this regard. "Don't worry about it." Turning around and stepping onto the bed's ladder, he's stopped by a grip on his pant leg.

"Yamazaki-senpai!"

When Sousuke looks down, the apprehension on Nitori's face is slowly giving way to those nerves of steel that he admires so much. Determination, plain and simple – so much so that it sets him apart even from those more talented than himself.

"It's not that I'm against it," Nitori says, "it's just – I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable."

All Sousuke can do is stare at him, which probably isn't helping, since he can't use telepathy to convey that waking up cuddling with Nitori would make him the exact opposite of uncomfortable. It's too embarrassing to say out loud just yet.

Nitori smiles a little, a tiny crack in his serious expression that shows something like nerves underneath. "You don't seem the cuddly type," he says.

"Neither does Rin, at first," Sousuke says. It's not really what he wanted to say at all, but it's what's safe to say.

"Yeah," Nitori laughs a little, "I guess you're right."

They're close to a breakthrough. Sousuke can feel it. The right flavor of tension is in the air, and he's _this close_ to giving in and just asking Nitori for a hug (or a date? Both?) but –

The door opens, and speak of the devil, Rin strolls in mid-complaint about the amount of walking he'd had to do in the shopping district.

"Oh – hey, Ai," he cuts himself off, smile growing in place of his annoyed grimace.

 _Nitori really does have that effect on people_ , Sousuke thinks with a frown as he hauls himself into bed. He feels Nitori's hand release his pants as he goes. Collapsing in bed face first might be a bit much, but he can calm down easier like this.

"What's with him?" He hears Rin asking Nitori as he shrugs off his jacket.

Nitori either doesn't respond, or gives a wordless reply, because next thing Sousuke knows is the feel of the bedframe trembling as the both of them climb into the bottom bunk. He knows that the shifting means they're situating close together as usual.

He can hear them whispering to each other, but he can't quite make out what they're saying. Their voices are the backdrop he falls asleep to, in the end.

The next morning, Sousuke finds the two of them sleeping nose-to-nose, probably having drifted off talking to each other. It makes him feel jealous and warm all at once.

* * *

+1.

"Thank you again for this," Nitori says, standing outside his dorm room and fumbling through his jacket pockets.

"You don't have to keep thanking me," Sousuke insists, because it's starting to make him feel humble and awkward in addition to his already troublesome crush. Nitori is too polite, on top of everything else, and Sousuke can't remember the last time he fell this hard for someone, if ever.

"I really mean it, though," Nitori is saying, "without you, I'd probably be –" he cuts off suddenly, his face falling into a frown. "Ah – shit."

Sousuke raises an eyebrow at the rare use of language. "What is it?"

"I don't have my room key," Nitori says, his shoulders drooping.

That's a problem indeed, but only because it's making Nitori look disappointed in himself, which Sousuke has had more than enough of lately. "Why don't you just knock on the door? I'm sure Momo'll let you in."

Nitori shakes his head, his smile apologetic. "I don't want to wake him…he went to bed early. Remember the test he was studying for the other day? It's tomorrow…."

That only leaves one solution, and Sousuke is sure that by now, Nitori has figured it out as well. He might have even thought of it first, considering it seems to be his go-to when he can't sleep in his own room for whatever reason.

"C'mon," Sousuke says, already shuffling down the hallway.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Nitori asks, trotting along to catch up until he can keep pace.

Sousuke nods, because of course he doesn't mind – he's more than fond of Nitori's company. Not to mention, if they get there and Rin's already asleep, then maybe, just _maybe_ Sousuke will be able to finally say something. (…As if he hasn't had enough time alone with Nitori to do so before.)

He unlocks their door and lets Nitori in first, locking up behind them once they're in. Sure enough, Rin is fast asleep, and Nitori takes two apprehensive steps into the room, peering at him in obvious hesitation.

Deciding to let him deliberate, Sousuke zips off his jacket and swaps out his sweatpants for a lighter pair. It doesn't take him long, and Nitori is still standing there in the middle of the room when he's done, apparently lost in thought, his eyebrows scrunched together minutely.

"Hey," Sousuke whispers, trying to get his attention without startling him. "Do you need clothes to sleep in?"

"That'd be nice," Nitori says, small smile in place as always. The faint moonlight makes his eyes sparkle and his still-damp hair shine, and Sousuke really is in _way_ too deep here.

The fair thing to do, he knows, would be to give Nitori something of Rin's to wear. The two of them are much closer in size, and he's pretty sure that Nitori has shared Rin's clothes before. But Sousuke is digging through his own drawers, anyway, until he finds his softest, most worn t-shirt to hand over.

"Th-thank you," Nitori is whispering, too, and there's enough light for Sousuke to see the pink dusting on his cheeks.

He's about to answer that it's no problem, or maybe ask if Nitori wants any pants to go with the shirt (Sousuke would do the smart thing and let him borrow Rin's, in that case), but before he can speak up, Nitori turns away and starts to change.

Sousuke has seen Nitori sleep in just a t-shirt and boxers before, of course, and Nitori is definitely fond of oversized pajama tops, so that really isn't anything new, either. By all accounts, there should be nothing different or especially intriguing about Nitori's choice of sleepwear this time.

When Nitori is finished, Sousuke finds his attention drawn in and held regardless. The knowledge that it's his t-shirt hanging off of Nitori's slender frame makes warmth bloom in his chest.

That blush is still visible on Nitori's cheeks, too, which doesn't help.

Sousuke is pretty sure he's also blushing. It's probably too much to hope for that Nitori hasn't noticed.

"We should probably go to sleep," Nitori says, a nervous note to his voice as he pulls at the hem of his t-shirt, twisting the fabric in his fingers.

"Yeah."

At this point, Sousuke definitely expects Nitori to say something like 'I'm sure I can crawl in without waking Rin-senpai!' as he sneaks quietly over to the bottom bunk. But Nitori stays where he is, his gaze averted and his blush spreading to the tips of his ears, and Sousuke tries not to be hopeful at his hesitation.

There's silence for a minute or two. Sousuke debates whether he should go to bed and leave Nitori to sort himself out, but he seems to be working up to something, and Sousuke realizes he's willing to stand here waiting as long as it takes.

"Yamazaki-senpai," Nitori says eventually, his voice slow and careful. "Do you mind if I share with you, tonight?"

Sousuke blinks. Then blinks again.

Since when does he get what he wants, especially as easy as that?

…Surely there's some trick here, right?

He feels like a deer caught in headlights, like he's suddenly too big in this too small dorm room, and a million elated thoughts are circling his head at once as he stares down at Nitori, and –

"It's okay if not!" Nitori says, his blush flaring up in earnest now as he wrings his hands. "I just – I like you, um, a lot, and Rin-senpai says that you like me, too, so I thought that maybe – but if you don't want to, we can – or, I can just –"

Now _that_ snaps him back to himself, and rather than try to get a word in on that ramble, Sousuke steps forward and wraps Nitori in a hug. It cuts off his panicked backtracking with a small squeak, and also _wow_ is it nice to hold him at last.

Sousuke feels slim arms wrap around him in return and sighs, dropping his head to nuzzle into Nitori's hair. "Sure," he mumbles, "you can share with me."

They part a bit, Nitori pulling back far enough to flash his brightest smile yet. "Okay..!"

The expression on Nitori's face is open and earnest – his blush might be fading, but he's making Sousuke's come back full-force. Sousuke is pretty sure he's never blushed this much in his life. It's probably not healthy. "I like you, too," he confesses before he loses his nerve.

If possible, Nitori perks up even more, bouncing a little and standing up that much straighter. "Really?"

Sousuke nods, and then bends down to kiss Nitori's forehead – _also_ before he loses his nerve. His skin is warm and his hair is soft and Sousuke is feeling overjoyed in a way he never has before. It's new, but not bad.

"Can…we go on a date sometime, then?" Nitori asks. His voice is hesitant, but less-so than earlier.

And oh his luck just keeps coming. It catches Sousuke off-guard in a good way; thank goodness Nitori is so unafraid of his own feelings. "Definitely," Sousuke answers, looking into clear blue eyes and enjoying the way they light up.

Nitori holds that eye contact for a while, and Sousuke always thought that getting lost in someone's eyes was just a ridiculous cliché, but here he is, just _staring_ for minutes on end.

Eventually, Nitori's eyes flick down to his mouth and then back up. Twice.

…That couldn't mean what Sousuke thinks it does. Tonight has been nice enough already, so there's no way –

Rocking up onto his toes, Nitori has both hands braced on Sousuke's shoulders. He tilts his chin expectantly, and Sousuke isn't about to refuse him. Leaning down, he closes the distance between their mouths, feeling Nitori's breath rush out of his nose and over his cheek.

Sousuke breaks the kiss relatively soon, pleasantly overwhelmed by the feeling of thin, plush lips against his own. He barely has time to notice Nitori's tiny smile before a hand on the back of his neck guides him back down for seconds. When they part this time, Nitori giggles, and it's the best sound Sousuke's ever heard.

"We should probably go to bed," he mutters against Nitori's lips, because they're still close enough to touch.

"Mm," Nitori makes a noise of agreement as he sinks down off tiptoe. His palms slip from Sousuke's shoulders, hands gliding down his arms and squeezing both of Sousuke's before retreating.

There goes that warmth spreading in his chest again, along with the butterflies fluttering around his stomach. Sousuke doesn't bother trying to beat back those feelings tonight – he just leads the way to the bunkbed's ladder, his head spinning a little.

It isn't until he reaches the top of the ladder that Sousuke's thoughts catch up to him fully, and he realizes exactly what Nitori had said during his initial rambling confession. "Wait," he says, pulling himself into bed, "did Rin seriously tell you that I like you?"

"I'm sure he was just trying to help," sweet, gentle Nitori insists as he crawls into the top bunk behind Sousuke, passing him to sit with his back to the wall.

"Hmph." Try as he might, Sousuke's frown just won't stick as deeply as he wants it to while he's face to face with Nitori like this. Not even for dramatic affect. "He's a gossip hound."

"He cares!" Nitori says, but he's laughing again, all soft at the edges.

"He should mind his own business," Sousuke continues, lying down. He settles on his left side, with the edge of the bed to his back, and Nitori mirrors him.

"…I'm glad he didn't," Nitori admits. He shifts closer to Sousuke, reaching for him and slotting their hands together. His eyes avert shyly, but there's a telling grin on his face.

As usual, Sousuke can't help but smile back. "Me, too."

x

Sousuke wakes up to faint vibrations against his forehead and muffled voices somewhere above him. His face is pressed into something warm and solid, and he's breathing in a clean, homey scent that makes him want to continue to shut the world out in favor of more rest.

Further sleep-addled observations inform him that he's got his arms wrapped around the thing in front of him, his left feeling surprisingly not-squished beneath its weight while his right is hooked over the other side. Both of his hands are fisted in fabric, and his right leg is thrown over the solid warmth as well.

Whatever he's clinging to shifts minutely, and the vibrations in front of him start up again. There's an arm over his shoulder now, and fingers in his hair, and belatedly he realizes that the thing he's draped over is another person.

 _Nitori_ , his brain supplies when it remembers the events of last night, _finally_.

Breathing in deep and letting it out slowly, Sousuke treats himself to the scent of both the boy and his own laundry detergent as he nuzzles into his torso.

This really is the best wake-up he's had in a while. He inches closer, wrapping all his limbs up tighter to give Nitori an almost full bodied hug before he relaxes again. The hand in his hair is joined by another, and two sets of blunt nails scratch gently at his scalp – Sousuke really can't help the soft, pleased noise he lets out.

It's _almost_ perfect. The only thing that could improve this morning would be if Rin would stop snickering in the background.

"Rin-senpai," Nitori says, and there are those vibrations again. Sousuke barely resists the urge to rub his face in more to chase them. "Please be quiet, you'll wake him up..!"

"He's gonna have to wake up eventually."

Rin is being an unhelpful jerk as always, and in protest to that idea, Sousuke shifts even closer to Nitori until he's flush against him. Flattening one of the hands clinging to his shirt so he can press it to Nitori's lower back, Sousuke strokes over the area with his thumb. He follows the impulse that hits him and presses a kiss to the spot right in front of his mouth.

"In fact he might be awake right now." Rin continues to be unhelpful, his raised eyebrow palpable in his voice.

Nitori, bless him, sounds a bit flustered, though his hands don't stop their attentions to Sousuke's hair. "If he is, it's your fault…."

There are a couple more giggles from Rin, and a new set of fingers attack the back of Sousuke's head with a series of flicks. "Oi, Sousuke – quit pretending to be asleep."

"Rin-senpai, don't!"

One of Nitori's hands disappears for a moment, and Sousuke indulges in a satisfied smirk when this is immediately followed by the sound of skin smacking at skin before Rin's hand also disappears. After swatting Rin's offending digits away, Nitori goes back to his gentle stroking, and Sousuke hums.

"Oh, please," Rin scoffs, "you're spoiling him."

Nitori is free to spoil him as much as he wants – Sousuke really doesn't mind, he'll happily stay here all day. His leg is cramping up a bit, though, and he reluctantly lets it slide off of Nitori's, straightening it out to ease the soreness.

"Sousuke-senpai deserves to sleep in some," Nitori says, lowering his left arm so that it's circling Sousuke's shoulders instead. "We got in kind of late last night."

Oh, so he's Sousuke now, is he? That brings a smile to his face; this development is more than fine by him. One of Ai's legs comes to rest over his, and Sousuke finds himself biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning too wide. It'd be nice to have Ai spoon him, he thinks – but not now, considering that'd put him face to face with a way-too-amused Rin…next time, then.

Rin gives a lighthearted sigh. "You're too nice, Ai," he says, but he sounds happy when he says it, and Sousuke feels the tremors of good-natured laughter bubbling out of Ai's chest. Rin's hand drops a few heavy pats on Sousuke's head. "And _you're_ too selfish."

Kissing Ai's torso again, Sousuke cracks one eye open and tries to look back without moving his head, catching a flash of red hair at the edge of his vision. "Jealous," he accuses on a mumble.

He can't see them from here, but by the sound of his voice and the swing of his hair, Sousuke can tell Rin is rolling his eyes. "Sure, Sousuke," he says, " _I'm_ the jealous one."

"Mhm." Sousuke closes his eye again, settling back in. "Glad we understand each other."

Rin flicks the back of his head again as he climbs up another rung on the bed's ladder. He leans across Sousuke, momentarily squishing his head into the mattress with the force of his weight as Sousuke grunts.

"Rin-senpai!" Ai protests, along with the soft sound of Rin ruffling his hair.

He must be leaning a little on Ai, too, and bending his arm at a difficult angle just to accomplish this. Sousuke wants to kick Rin's ass for disturbing his peace, but he settles for smacking whatever part of him he can reach until Rin backs off and hops down.

"Don't be late for practice, sleeping beauty!" Rin calls on his way out the door. "It's almost time to unwrap yourself from prince charming and face the day." Then he closes the door behind himself, and he's finally left them in peace.

"Wh-what?!" Ai goes a little tense. "Sousuke-senpai, what does –"

Sousuke only curls closer to Ai. "Nevermind him. Five more minutes."

Ai seems to think it over for a few seconds, before Sousuke feels him relax again and press a kiss into his hair. "Alright, sleeping beauty."

For that, Sousuke pokes him in the back until he's squirming with laughter.

This really is the best way to wake up.

* * *

 **A/N:** I am a sucker for soft Sousuke. Softsuke, if you will. Someone please hold him.

First time posting for this fandom, so I'm nervous and kept this in editing limbo for a whiiile - but here we are anyway in honor of season three! Sorry all I brought to the party was a cheesy 5+1 fluff fic, ahaha.

Thanks for reading!


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